Governance Effectiveness
Trustee talking points
Hospitals and health care foundations have been operating in a favorable charitable environment.
Prospects could change in the face of greater financial volatility and transformation in health care.
Hospital and foundation boards need to take a balanced…
It takes a special kind of person to volunteer to serve on the board of an American hospital these days. As we’ve noted here innumerable times, health care is in the midst of a top-to-bottom transformation. While we don’t know precisely how the dust will settle, we do know, without a…
Many board members at local, independent hospitals have expertise in a wide range of industries, but they often do not have specialist skills in governing hospitals in today’s rapidly changing health care environment. Because health care management continues to grow in complexity,…
A chance moment kick-started Eugene Woods’ career as a health care leader more than 25 years ago, and a simple health care–related accident that took his aunt Carmen’s life years ago continues to fuel his passion for the field decades later. Now, Woods, 52, is embracing some…
The 2017 American Hospital Association Annual Membership Meeting offers trustees an excellent opportunity to gain perspectives that will help us continue to advance health in America. The meeting, to be held May 7-10 in Washington, D.C., will feature some of America’s most…
Trustee talking points
Philanthropy is growing in importance as health care transforms toward new models.
The most crucial time in an organization’s life is the transition from one CEO to another. But while considerable time and attention are given to the mission and vision of a company, this often isn't the case with CEO-transition planning. Such planning is particularly needed in…
Few things are more satisfying to new board members than the realization that they have not only made a smart decision to join a board but that they can immediately begin to make meaningful contributions. And nothing fosters that certainty more than a dynamic, interactive board orientation.…
The negotiation of a hospital partnership is complex, and during discussions it is often a challenge to identify all of its potential ramifications. Unintended consequences are almost inevitable, but by studying the experiences of others it may be possible to mitigate unplanned outcomes.
In 2013,…
Throughout the year, the American Hospital Association urges hospital leaders, including trustees, to advocate with their federal legislators on various issues, including protecting patients from cuts to hospital funding, reducing red tape and decreasing the administrative burden on hospitals…